Symmetrical garments



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 24, 1965 w P, MCHUGH SYMMETRICAL GARMENTS Filed June 5. l963 %ham/m.

Aug. 24, 1965 w. P. MCHUGH SYMMETRICAL GARMENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5, 1963 592%&

United States Patent O 3,2lDL8l0 SYMMETRECAL GARMENTS Warren P. McHugh, Bergeniield, NJ. (101 Wilson Ave., Rumford, RJ.) Filed lune 5, 1963, Ser. No. %5,787 2 Clains. (Cl. 2-83) This invention relates to garments and more particularly to garments that are adapted to be donned with a desgnated side portion located either to the front of a wearer or to the rear.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a garment having duplicate half portions whereby the garment can be worn with either of the half portions covering the front of a wearer.

A principal object of the invention is to prolong the period of usefulness and the potential life of a garment by so constructing a garment as to enable it to be donned reversely so that the areas which are ordinarlly subject to the most abuse, such as at the knees or in the seat, are apportionable between two different areas of the material of which the garment is fabricated as 'a consequence of interchangng the fore and aft dispositon of the garment on a person 'on different occasions of use.

Another object is to provide a bifurcated garment which can be made up from duplicate blanks which are cut to a single pattern, or from four identically shaped blanks which are cut to a single pattern of a smaller size.

Another object is to provide a pajamas-lke garment having feet-enclosing pockets at the extremtes of each of the legs of the garment so that the garment can be donned with a designated or front portion of the garment either at the front or back of a person wearing the garment.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its 'objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a general View of a pajamas-like garment employing the principle of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of the garment shown in FIG. l as viewed from the reverse side;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the garment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 when worn in one of two possible positions; i

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a section on line 5-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a blank employed in the garment illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4;

FIG. 8 is a blank of a sole piece;

FIG. 9 is a blank employed in forming a trouserslength garment;

FIG. 10 is made up of two identical blanks like that of FIG. 9; and

FIG. ll illustrates two blanks for forming one-half of a modified form of trousers-length garment.

The garment of the present invention embodies a body-encrcling portion and leg portions assembled from two identically shaped units of material which respectively comprise an upper section and a lower section. The upper sections of the respective units are joined together along their side edges to complete the form of the body portion of the garment. The lower section of each unit is so formed as to cover the leg of a wearer. Each unit has such a configuration as to provide, when the units are assembled together, a garment which may be worn with a designated portion either to the front or to the back of a wearer with side elements interchangeable in location from hip to hip, depending upon the location of the designated portion either at the front or at the back of the wearer.

The pn'nciple of the invention is incorporated in the garments shown in the accompanying drawing. The garment 10 of FIGS. l, 2 and 3 includes two units 11 and 12. The units are formed from blanks which have portions of dual pockets at their lower ends. Two blanks of a desired material may be cut at one time from a common pattern such as is illustrated in FIG. 7. The blank includes an upper section 13 above a horizontal line 14 which extends between two crotch points 15 and 16, and a lower section 17 which extends downwardly from the horizontal line 14. The lower section is shaped to form a leg 18 of the garment (FIG. 1). The lower end of the blank has two tongues 19 and 20 which alternately serve to cover the foot of a wearcr of the finished garment, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. The blank is symmetrical to either side of a vertical aXis 21 which bisects the upper edge 22.

The side edges of the blank include substantially parallel longitudinally extending edges 23, 24, continuing downwardly into downwardly and outwardly curving segments 25 and 26 at the opposite sides of the upper section of the blank. The curving segments 25 and 26 respectively meet at the crotch points 15, 16 with inwardly and downwardly curving segments 27 and 23. The inwardly and downwardly curving segments 27 and 28 respectively merge into downwardly tapering edges 29 and 30 at the opposite sides of the lower section of the blank. The outwardly curving segments which meet at the crotch points 15 and 16 provide an area of material of varying width in the adjoining region of the upper and lower sections 13 and 17 that contributes to such fullness in the garment as is required to comfortably encircle the broadest expanse of a wearer around the hips.

The garment is assembled by using two similar blanks. In forming a leg, the side edge 27-29 of a blank is stitched to the side edge 2840 of the same blank for a leg length extending downwardly from the crotch points 15 and 16 to a point 31 opposite from the fork 32 be tween the tongues 19 and 20. The leg seams are located at the inside of the respective legs.

When the legs of the two blanks have thus been formed, the edge 23-25 of one blank is stitched to the corresponding edge of the other blank to form a seam which appears at 33, FIG. 1, and the edge 2446 of the one blank is stitched to the corresponding edge of the second blank to form the seam at 34, FIG. 2. The upper edge 22 of one blank extends one-half of the distance around the waist and the same edge of the other blank completes a body-encircling band. The upper edge of the garment may be hemmed or turned down suiciently to form a sleeve for containing a drawstring or an elastic band 35 for suspending the garment from the waist of a wearer, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Similar elongated ovate pieces 36 and 37 serve as soles for the feet-enclosing pockets at the lower ends of the legs'. One sole piece is required for each leg. The sole piece is sufiiciently long to extend from beyond the toes to the heel and upwardly in back of the heel, as shown in FIG. S.

One end of a sole 36 is stitched along its edge to the edge of the tongue 19 from the fork 32 to the coincident points 31 of one leg, FIG. 7, and to the tongue 20 from the coincident points 31 around the tip 'of the tongue 20 to the fork 32. The forward part of a foot can be in serted in either of the dual pockets thus formed, depending upon which of the pockets is located at the front of the garment when it is donned. A duplicate ovate piece 37 is similarly attached to the tongues 19 and 20 of the leg of the other unit 12 so as to provide similar dual pockets at the lower end of that leg.

In order to provide a neat appearance at the lower ends of the legs, it is preferable to have the sole pieces cut in a manner to provide a triangularly shaped wing 38 having an apex 39 at the mid-length of the piece, FIG. 8. When a sole piece is assembled to a leg 'of the garment, the piece is so positioned that the apex 39 is located at the fork 32. The triangular wing 38 assists in making a neat bellows fold in the material of a leg adjacent the fork.

Two pairs of fastening elements are attached to the lower end of each leg for the purpose of supporting either one of the dual pockets (if desired, while the other pocket is left free for receiving the forward part of the foot of a wearer. Any suitable fastening means may be employed for this purpose. As shown in FIG. 5, a snap element 40 is sewed to the tip of one pocket and a snap element 41 is sewed to the tip of the other pocket. The complementary snap elements 42 and 43 are sewed to the lower end of the leg at such a location as to permit a portion of the sole to be folded to the rear of the heel.

It is apparent that the garment described is adapted to be donned with the tongues 20 overlaying the feet (FIGS. 4 and or with the tongues 19 overlaying the feet, depending upon the disposition of the garment when it is put on. When the tongues 20 overlay the feet the tongues 19 may be raised behind the heel, and vice versa. Children are eager to dress themselves and sometimes put on a conventional garment with the back to the front. The present invention avoids the necessity of removing the garment to correct the mistake.

The invention is also useful for making pajamas, trousers and slacks. For such a purpose two identically formed blanks, such as the blank 44, FIG. 9, are cut similarly to the blank shown in FIG. 7, exceptng that the lower end of each blank is cut square to the central Vertical axis 45 at a suitable length to provide a desired trouser length. Sufiicient material may be left at the lower ends of the leg to hem 'or to form cufis.

The lower outside edges of a blank below the crotch points 46 and 47 are sewed together to provide the respective legs 48 and 49, FIG. 10. The lower outside edges of a blank, when stitched together, form a seam at 50 at the inside of one leg, and the lower outside edges of the duplicate blank likewise form a seam at 51 at the inside of the other leg.

The outside edges above the crotch points 46 and 47 of one blank are stitched, respectively, to corresponding outside edges of the other blank to complete the bodyencircling part of the garment. One of the opposite seams thus formed is designated 52 in FIG. 10. The side edges of each blank have such a configuration as to provide a fullness of material above and below the horizontal line 53 through the crotch points 46 and 47.

A garment may be made with a seam at the outside of each leg. Such a garment is made from four identical blanks. Two suitable blanks 54 and 55 are ill-ustrated in FIG. 11. Each blank consists substantially of onehalf of a blank or unit similar to that illustrated in FIG. 9. The outside seam of one half of a garment is completed by stitching the longitudinal edges 56 and 57 together. When the two blanks 54 and 55 are stitched together they provide a panel equivalent to a single unit. The joined edges 56 and 57 provide a seam along a hip and the outside of a leg. The unit thus formed is assembled to another like unit which has been similarly prepared from two 'other blanks like the blanks 54 and 55. The two units are assembled together in the manner described for completing the garment shown in FIG. 10.

The invention enables the use of but one major pattern for laying out and cutting the material for garments of one size and thus effects econorny in manufacturing and reduces the inventory of cut material as Compared with the inventory required for manufacturng conventional garments which are necessarily put together from unlike pieces cut to different patterns.

The invention is adapted to be utilized in a variety of types of garnents without limitation with respect to the kind of garment or to the particular use for which the garment is intended.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates only to preferred embodiments of the invention and that numerous modifications and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bifurated garment of the character described, a pair of duplicate units adapted, when assembled, to provide a body-forming portion and a pair of legs extending downwardly from said body-torming portion, each unit having an upper section constituting one half of said body-forming portion above the crotch of the garment and a lower section constituting a leg-forming portion, said upper section of each unit having substan- -tially parallel longitudinally extending side edges contir-uing downw-'ardly into downwardly and foutwardly extendng edges which respectively meet at the crotch of the garment with inwardly and downwardly extending edges at opposite sides of a unit to provide a fullness 'of material in the lower and upper regions respectively of said upper and lower sections when said units are stitched together, each lower section extending downwardly from the crotch a sufiicient distance to cover the leg and foot of an intended wearer, each lower section having downwardly tapering edges extending downwardly from said inwardly and downwardly extending edges 'of the unit, said inwardly and downwardly extending edges and said tapering edges of each unit stitched together downwardly from the crotch a suiiicient distance to form a covering for a leg of a wearer and to leave two tongues of sufiicient length beyond the lower end of the stitching for extending to over the toes of a wearer, an elongated, generally ovate piece having one end attached to one of said tongues of one of said units and its other end attached to the other of said tongues of said one of said units by seams along the margin of said ovate piece and thus providing separate pockets adapted alternately to receive either the left foot or the right foot of a wearer depending upon the fore and aft orientation `of the garment on a wearer, a second elongated, generally ovate piece having 'one end attached to one of said tongues of the second of said units and its other end attached to the other tongue of said second unit by seams along the margin of said second ovate piece and thus providing separate pockets adapted alternately to receive either the right foot or the left foot of a wearer depending upon the fore and aft orientation of the garment on a wearer, the upper sections of said duplicate units being joined together along the side edges of the respective upper sections to complete the circumference of the body-portion of the garment.

2. In a bifurcated garment of the character described, a pair of duplicate units adapted, when assembled, to provide a body-forming portion and a pair of legs extending downwardly from said body-forming portion, each unit having an upper section constituting one half of said body-forming portion above the crotch of the garment and a lower section constituting a leg-forming portion, said upped section of each unit having substantally parallel longitudinally extending side edges continuing downwardly into downwardly and outwardly 53 extcndng edges, means for joinng together said duplicate units along said side edges to complete said bodyforming portion above the crotch of the garment, said downwardly and outwardly extending edges of the upper section of each unit meeting at the crotch With inwardly and downwardly extending edges at opposite sides of the lower section of each unit, each lower section having downwardly tapering edges extendng downwardly from said inwardly and downwardly extending edges of the unit, said inwardly and downwardly extending edges and said tapering edges of each unit stitched together downwardly from the crotch a suflicient distance to form a tubiform coverng for a leg of a wearer and to leave two tongues of sufficient length beyond the lower end of the stitching for extending to over the toes of a wearer, an elongated, 'ovate piece attached to both of said tongues of one of said units, one of said tongues of said one unit attached to one half 'of said ovate piece by stitching and the other of said tongues of said one unit attached to the other half 'of said ovate piece by stitching and thus providing separate pockets adapted interchangeably to receive either the left foot or the right foot of a Wearer depending upon the fore and aft orientation of the garment on a Wearer, a second elongated, ovate piece attached to both of said tongues of the second of said units, one of said tongues of said second unit attached to one-half of said second ovate piece by stitching and the other of said tongues of said second unit attached to the other half of said second ovate piece by stitching and thus providing separate pockets adapted interchangeably to receive either the right foot or the left foot of a Wearer depending upon the fore and aft orientation of the garment on a Wearer, and separable fasteners for attaching the toe-ends of said pockets to difierent portions 'of the adjoining leg covering, as desired.

References Cited by the Examie' UNITED STATES PATENTS 707,5S6 8/02 Dane 2--227 1,393,900 10/21 Mlkes 2--83 1,523,379 1/25 Lesson 2-224 2,484,478 10/49 Wertz 2-227 2,520,026 8/50 Beitchman 2-227 2,743,451 5/ 56 Meyers 2-83 2,896,339 7/59 Rabnowitz 36-10 2,994,884 8/61 Bevington 2-80 X 3,111,680 11/63 Horowitz et al 2--227 r JORDAN FRANKLIN, Pr'mary Examner. 

1. IN A FIBURCATED GARMENT OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, A PAIR OF DUPLICATE UNITS ADPATED, WHEN ASSEMBLED, TO PROVIDE A BODY-FORMING PORTION AND A PAIR OF LEGS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID BODY-FORMING PORTION, EACH UNIT HAVING AN UPPER SECTION CONSTITUTING ONE HALF OF SAID BODY-FORMING PORTION ABOVE THE CROTCH OF THE GARMENT AND A LOWER SECTION CONSTITUTING A LEG-FORMING PORTION, SAID SUPPER SECTION OF EACH UNIT HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SIDE EDGES CONTINUING DOWNWARDLY INTO DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY EXTENDING EDGES WHICH RESPECTIVELY MEET AT THE CROTCH OF THE GARMENT WITH INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING EDGES AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF A UNIT TO PROVIDE A FULLNESS OF MATERIAL IN THE LOWER AND UPPER REGIONS RESPECTIVELY OF SAID UPPER AND LOWER SECTIONS WHEN SAID UNITS ARE STICHED TOGETHER, EACH LOWER SECTION EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE CROTCH A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TO COVER THE LEG AND FOOT OF AN INTENDED WEARER, EACH LOWER SECTION HAVING DOWNWARDLY TAPERING EDGES EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING EDGES OF THE UNIT, SAID INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING EDGES AND SAID TAPERING EDGES OF EACH UNIT STITCHED TOGETHER DOWNWARDLY FROM THE CROTCH A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TO FORM A COVERING FOR A LEG OF A WEARER AND TO LEAVE TWO TONGUES OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH BEYOND THE LOWER END OF THE STITCHING FOR EXTENDING TO OVER THE TOES OF A WEARER, AN ELONGATED, GENERALLY OVATE PIECE HAVING ONE END ATTACHED TO ONE OF SAID TONGUES OF ONE OF SAID UNITS AND ITS OTHER END ATTACHED TO THE OTHER OF SAID TONGUES OF SAID ONE OF SAID UNITS BY SEAMS ALONG THE MARGIN OF SAID OVATE PIECE AND THUS PROVIDING SEPARATE POCKETS ADAPTED ALTERNATELY TO RECEIVE EITHER THE LEFT FOOT OR THE RIGHT FOOT OF A WEARER DEPENDING UPON THE FORE AND AFT ORIENTATION OF THE GARMENT ON A WEARER, A SECOND ELONGATED, GENERALLY OVATE PIECE HAVING ONE END ATTACHED TO ONE OF SAID TONGUES OF THE SECOND OF SAID UNITS AND ITS OTHER END ATTACHED TO THE OTHER TONGUE OF SAID SECOND UNIT BY SEAMS ALONG THE MARGIN OF SAID SECOND OVATE PIECE AND THUS PROVIDING SEPARATE POCKETS ADAPTED ALTERNATELY TO RECEIVE EITHER THE RIGHT FOOT OR THE LEFT FOOT OF A WEARER DEPENDING UPON THE FORE AND AFT ORIENTATION OF THE GARMENT ON A WEARER, THE UPPER SECTIONS OF SAID DUPLICATE UNITS BEING JOINED TOGETHER ALONG THE SIDE EDGES OF THE RESPECTIVE UPPER SECTIONS TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE BODY-PORTION OF THE GARMENT. 